IWC Schaffhausen

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The Watchman

Inside IWC

Text — Medard Meier Photos — David Willen Date — 1 July, 2010

There may well be a few specialists more familiar with IWC and its history of over 140 years. But when it comes to watches and their intricate movements, he is probably without peer. A source of wonderment to the IWC Museum’s many visitors, the most beautiful, complicated and fascinating models from every phase in the company’s past are, in a sense, his children. Watchmaker Jürg Rüeger, 53, is the man who looks after the Museum’s watches, rather like a good father, ensuring that they run smoothly, are regularly oiled and always look their best. He is aware of all their special features and idiosyncrasies, and knows precisely what to do when they require attention.

Rüeger still lives near the Rhine Falls, where he grew up, but moved from the right bank to the slightly higher left after getting married. He has a profound understanding of the flow of time and knows only too well that the harmony radiated by the many superb watches on display can be deceptive. He completed his apprenticeship in 1978 at precisely the moment when the Swiss watchmaking industry was plunged into crisis as quartz signalled the demise of the mechanical watch. IWC Schaffhausen had no alternative but to slash its workforce from 380 to 140 in the space of just six months.

He was one of the lucky ones to survive, but could no longer afford to be choosy as to the work he did. “I became an all-rounder.” But all that has long been history: IWC is now bigger and stronger than ever. Today, Rüeger not only looks after the health of the roughly one thousand precious timepieces in the collection but also complements his other duties with those of a guardian.

He is aware of all their special features and idiosyncrasies, and knows precisely what to do when they require attention

—Opening times of the IWC Museum in Schaffhausen: Tuesday to Friday 3 to 5 pm, Saturday 10 am to 3 pm

IWC watches are regularly sent in to Schaffhausen from all over the world to have their authenticity verified. Rüeger is part of a three-man committee that subjects critical cases to meticulous scrutiny. Although the vast majority of the watches submitted are given a thumbs-up, confirmed in a certificate signed by all three members, a growing number of timepieces receive a definite “No”. The owners of these watches are notified of the committee’s findings in a terse note that provides no indication of the reasons for their decision. This is to avoid giving smart fakers clues as to how they could make their products more like the genuine article.

Rüeger takes more pleasure in filling the gaps in the collection. This is no longer as easy as it used to be because the items that are missing are increasingly rarities from very small production series, such as very early wristwatches. IWC played a pioneering role in popularizing the new timepieces, which replaced pocket watches during the early decades of the 20th century. The first revolutionary watches of this type left the factory as early as 1890. “To acquire examples of these really early wristwatches would be a dream for our museum,” says the watchmaker. “We’d certainly jump at the chance if we were ever offered such rare pieces,” adds David Seyffer, who is in charge of the watch museum at IWC headquarters in Schaffhausen. The community of collectors worldwide would probably forgive their favourite brand, although IWC makes it a strict principle not to compete with them.

And what does Jürg Rüeger do when he is not looking after his charges? Generally speaking, he makes good use of his watchmaker’s steady hands in his spare time. He is a marksman, shooting over the traditional distance of 300 metres, and an angler fishing the river he loves. Pike, trout and, in the winter months, the grayling native to the Rhine are the fish he regularly lands.

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